1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medal game machine for guiding a medal on a fixed table with a movable pusher table through a medal acquisition opening into a medal outlet slot in order to compete for acquired medals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known medal game machines are disclosed in Japanese unexamined utility model publication No. 7-13392 and Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 7-116335, for example. These disclosed medal game machines comprise an upstanding game panel, a horizontal panel disposed underneath the game panel, and a pusher table mounted slidably on the horizontal panel. In operation, the pusher pushes a medal on the horizontal panel into a discharge slot, thereby allowing the player to acquire the medal. More specifically, when the player inserts a medal through a medal insertion slot into the game panel, the medal drops through the game panel onto the horizontal panel. The medal will be pushed by the pusher in different fashions depending on the position in which the medal drops through the game panel, the time at which the medal drops through the game panel, and the position in which the medal is placed on the horizontal panel. The player adjusts these positions and the time in an attempt to acquire as many medals as possible with the pusher.
Each time a medal passes through the medal insertion slot or the game panel, a roulette or a numerical display unit successively changes its displayed numerical value, and a large number of medals are introduced into the game panel depending on the displayed numerical value which has come to a stop. In the medal game machine disclosed in Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 7-116335, each time the roulette stops at a given position, a medal is supplied to a medal reservoir placed in a position that is visually recognizable by the player, and the medals pooled in the medal reservoir are introduced altogether into the game panel when a predetermined number of medals have been supplied to the medal reservoir.
Another conventional medal game machine having a medal reservoir, which is revealed in Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 6-285238, discharges all the medals in the medal reservoir onto the horizontal panel.
In the above conventional medal game machines, the medal reservoir is normally held in a still condition or is carried by a carriage and runs on a given track. Therefore, the medal reservoir fails to produce such a visual effect as to display many medals at all times and discharge them in a manner easily visually recognizable by the player for thereby motivating the player to acquire more medals.
Furthermore, the conventional medal game machines are of such a structure that the supply of medals into the game panel and the medal reservoir cannot be easily visually perceived by the player. Consequently, the conventional medal game machines fail to create such a visual effect as to supply a large number of medals in a manner easily visually recognizable by the player for thereby inciting the player to acquire more medals.